Incheon, Oct 2 (IANS): The Indian hockey team beat Pakistan 4-2 in the penalty shootout to clinch the Asian Games gold at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium here Thursday.

After regulation time, the scoreline read 1-1.

Meanwhile, Hockey India (HI) Thursday congratulated its team for winning the Asian Games gold medal after 16 years in Incheon.

Two-time champions India beat arch-rivals and defending champions Pakistan 4-2 via penalties in the final at the Seonhak Hockey Stadium, thus booking a berth to the 2016 Rio Olympics. The regulation period score was 1-1, leading to the shootout.

“It is a proud moment for the country and a big day for Indian hockey. I would like to congratulate the entire team, director high performance Roelant Oltmans, chief coach Terry Walsh and the entire support staff that made this happen," HI secretary general Narinder Batra said.

"This gold is a big motivation for us and we will now take the game to the next level. We will up our efforts and ensure that we win more such games in the future.”